“Here’s something you might not know. Children crave structure. They enjoy the fun of planned activities in which their parent/and or guardian can share a common goal.”
-Marilyn manson (giving peter griffin parenting advice on an episode of family guy)
Because parents are at home. And not just at home. Also, all alone with their children for days and months. One thing the pandemic did was it highlighted the need to establish routine into our daily lives. Whether you are a first time parent staying home with a young toddler. Or maybe you are working from home and have more hours with your kids. Ultimately, setting routines for kids is important.
Setting Routines for Kids is Important
After I got my multiple subject teaching credential, I worked as a substitute teacher for quite a few years. Because of this experience I had the opportunity to go into hundreds of classrooms of all different grades.
And, What’s one thing that all classrooms have in common? Indeed, it’s the daily routine.
Generally, my daughter learned the classroom routine quickly during her first experience of attending mommy and me classes.
At the same time, even for myself, I remember daily routines from my own childhood. Indeed, I remember my teacher writing down the daily schedule on the chalkboard in elementary school. (And yes, I know chalkboards are dating me).
What Routines Do For Children
Nonetheless, think about if a classroom had no set schedule/routine. To begin with the children come in and throw their bags wherever. Then they would sit in a random seat. Hence they have no idea what will happen that day. Moreover, everything will be a surprise.
And while this might sound exciting for some, in reality chaos is not helpful to learning. Thus, routines create a sense of safety and security. And that is the first thing that is needed to learn.
What Routines Do For Parents
Besides helping your child learn, setting and establishing routines benefit parents greatly. Above all else, you can pre plan the day or week or month early. And this helps save time with planning.
Eventually, children will just follow the routine. So in the end it will help parents. In short, this means it helps your child cooperate and throw less tantrums. Also, they will understand there’s an organized system they are supposed to follow. Finally, this will help make transitioning from one activity to the next easier.
Morning and Bedtime Routines
Two of the most common routines established for even babies are morning and bedtime routines. Morning routines will help set the tone for the day. A good and positive morning routine can create a happy mood in your child, Subsequently, a proper and relaxing bedtime routine can actually help children sleep better.
For example: Morning routine activities might include:
- Brushing teeth
- Washing face
- Combing hair
- Exercise of some sort
- Breakfast
- Talking about the day
Also, some examples of evening routine activities might include:
- Bathtime
- Brushing teeth
- Washing face
- Combing hair
- Lullabies
- Storytimes
- Talking about the day
Example of a Daily Routine for a Toddler
An example of a daily routine for a toddler might be as follows:
7:00-7:30am Wake up!
7:30-8:00am Brush teeth and wash face. Get dressed. Comb hair.
8:00am-8:30am Prepare breakfast with parent.
8:30am-9am: Enjoy breakfast.
9:am-9:30am: Discuss the schedule for the day. Notice any variations (playdates, visits, medical appointments)
9:30am-10am: Dishes and clean up.
10am-11 am: Morning physical activity such as scooters/walks/or bikes.
11:am-12pm: Mid morning learning activity such as books, writing, drawing, puzzles or other activity.
12pm: Prepare lunch.
12:30pm: Enjoy lunch.
12:30pm-1pm: Clean and free play.
1pm-1:30pm: Nap time or quiet rest time.
1:30pm-3pm: Activity out of the house such as errands, playdates, appointments.
3:30pm: Snack time.
3:30pm-4pm: Clean up and Free play.
4:30pm-5pm: Prepare Dinner.
5:30pm: Enjoy Dinner.
6pm: Family activity such as puzzles, games, watching a quality show together.
6:30pm: Wind down and start to prepare for bed. (Brush teeth, bath time, pajamas)
6:30pm-7pm: Bedtime story and/or lullaby
7pm-7:30pm: Lights out. Good night!
